Heirloom Recipe: Toffee Bar Cookies

Food & Drink

Aug 20

I found this gem of a recipe tucked away in an old cookbook. It's one of those simple, no-fuss treats that require only (mostly) pantry staples.

What I love most about this recipe is how it brings me back to the basics—no fancy equipment, no complicated steps, just a few ingredients coming together to make something really tasty. It's the perfect reminder that sometimes, the best recipes are the ones that don't try too hard. So, if you're looking for a quick weeknight treat or need a last-minute bake sale treat, give this one a try. I promise it'll be worth it!

A note for better baking:

I've revised the recipe to show measurements in grams for the ingredients that are best measured by weight for recipe success.

Measuring by weight is far more accurate than using volume and takes all the guesswork out of baking. It ensures consistent results every single time! A cup can vary so much depending on how you scoop it, but when you measure by weight, you know you're getting it just right. This method makes baking less stressful and way more enjoyable!

No-Fuss Toffee Bars

A couple of notes/changes I made to this recipe:

Instead of a cookie sheet, I used a 9x9 square pan to yield a thicker bar.
I used mini chocolate chips so they'd melt quicker in the oven, but regular size will work just fine.
From the photo above it may look like I used melted butter but it is not melted/or in liquid form. It's best to use butter at room temperature. If the butter is melted when you cream it with the brown sugar, it is likely to change the texture and structure of the dough.

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks or 226g) butter, room temp
1 cup (200g) brown sugar
1 egg
½ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour
3/4 - 1 cup chocolate chips
Chopped nuts: I like pecans for this treat

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly grease or line a 9x9" pan with parchment paper.
Cream the butter and brown sugar. Once light and fluffy, add the egg, salt, and vanilla. Beat until smooth and creamy.
Finally, add in the flour and mix until combined.
Spread the dough with a spatula in a lightly greased or parchment-lined square pan, trying to get it as even as possible. The dough will be a bit thick.
Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until it's just starting to turn golden.
Remove from the oven and sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top. Pop it back in the oven for about a minute, just long enough to soften the chips.
Finally, remove the bars from the oven and spread the melted chocolate chips all over the top. Sprinkle with chopped nuts, and let it cool before cutting into bars. Enjoy!

Best if stored in an airtight container.

These toffee bars tasted just as good on day 5 as they did on the day they came out of the oven! They were gone in about 5 days, so can't speak to the freshness beyond that!

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